BIGSOUND 2019 Artist Focus: Milan Ring

Give us a short description of your music: Think indie guitars meets electronic drums laced with ‘90s R&B vocal magic xx.

Which acts are on your must-see list at BIGSOUND? Too many many, hopefully I can clone myself in time: Adrian Eagle, DRMNGNOW, Electric Fields, Kobie Dee, 3K, Mariam Sawires, Jaguar Jonze, Lil Spacely, Kymie, Mojo Juju, Savage The Girl, Stevan, Tasman Keith, Rebecca Hatch. 

Why should people come and see you among the many amazing bands at BIGSOUND? I will be bringing my visuals team up with me so am excited to showcase the visual aspect of my set, as well as some never heard before tunes, plus a few other surprises! I can't wait to share where it is all at right now.

What music trends do you think are dominating right now, and do you have any predictions for the coming year? Cross-genre mash-ups for sure, country/hip hop, Old Town Road, etc. I am making some more indie-leaning tunes at the moment and I think that indie underground sound will continue to be super strong, especially in Australia. Maybe my indie/future-soul sound will pop off ;)

In your career to date, what have been the key watershed moments? Being in the studio with the SoX Crew, SZA, DRAM, BJ The Chicago Kid, Neff-U, Leven Kali. Opening for Masego around Australia, touring Australia with The Rubens and Winston Surfshirt. Performing at festivals; Panama, Listen Out, Pitch, Splendour In the Grass. All the shows are a dream!

What industry lessons would you like to take away from the BIGSOUND conference? How to not repeat a Fyre festival disaster, haha. I suppose just any further insight into the industry and how to navigate oneself through it will be super beneficial – I'm all ears!

What do you identify as the most pressing issue impacting the Australian music industry at present? What we are teaching kids in school. With more focus on music and the arts, we will see a completely different Australia in the coming years. "Where are the female musicians? Where are the people of colour? Where is the diversity in music genres?" hopefully won't be the discussion anymore.

What is the best bit of advice you've been given to prepare for your time at BIGSOUND? It’s crazy, with fast changeovers – make the set-up as easy as possible. So of course I'm bringing my stage design *facepalm*. 

When and where is your BIGSOUND showcase? 3 Sep, Family, 10.30pm; 4 Sep, Levi’s Showcase, The Valley Drive In, 5pm; 4 Sep, Ric’s Big Backyard, 11.40pm.